wfn.org | US Student Christian Movement to be reborn at Morehouse

["Philip Jenks" <pjenks@ncccusa.org>]

>Historic U.S. Student Christian Movement
>to be reborn October 8-11 at Morehouse 

>See: www.ncccusa.org/news/100721scm.html

Atlanta, July 21, 2010 -- The U.S. Student Christian Movement (SCM),  which has 
lain dormant for more than 40 years, will be reborn October  8-11 at a historic 
gathering at Morehouse College in Atlanta. 

The organization, called the University Christian Movement in the U.S.  was 
known for its witness for civil rights and peace in the first half  of the 20th 
century. The group voted itself out of existence four  decades ago as its 
members turned to other forms of Christian activism.
 
But sensing a growing need for new structures to respond to moral and  social 
crises today, students have been gathering in campus chapters of  the SCM 
around the country. In October, student representatives from  seminaries, 
colleges, universities and current SCM USA chapters will  gather here to launch 
a national SCM movement. 

"Students will come together to discuss how they will collectively put  their 
faith into action towards progressive Christian concerns," said  Luciano 
Kovacs, North America Regional Secretary of the World Student  Christian 
Federation.

"SCM USA will provide the coordination of ecumenical student activities  in the 
U.S., and subsequently connect U.S. students with the rest of the  global 
federation." 

The theme of the gathering is, "Overcoming Violence: Encountering the  Past, 
Engaging the Present, Empowering the Future." 

Momentum for the event began in January 2009 the World Student Christian  
Federation held a regional conference and consultation in San Francisco  called 
"Raising New Prophets, Arising of a Movement." That event marked  the official 
launch of the newly recreated North American Region of the  World Student 
Christian Federation (WSCF-NA) and spearheaded the  formation of a Steering 
Committee that was tasked to lead the building  of a new Student Christian 
Movement (SCM) USA. 

Historically, Student Christian Movements have been deeply involved in  
enabling young Christians to respond to crisis and current events from  the 
basis of their faith. These responses have played a part in the  confessing 
church in Germany during the Second World War, in the  formation and action of 
churches and students Christians during the  Civil Rights Movement of the 
1950's and 60's, and today in the response  to issues of oppression, 
devastation, injustice, war and homophobia.  

Current leaders of the ecumenical movement recognize the debt they owe  to the 
Student Christian Movement. The rich legacy has fostered nascent  leadership 
for over 100 years, including the involvement of such figures  as Martin Luther 
King Jr. and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. 

"Students have struggled, and sometimes even died, to build a movement  that 
follows the radical life of Jesus Christ," said Alice Hageman, an  alumni and 
co-chair for the US trustees of the World Students Christian  Federation. "It 
is they who paved the way."

The World Student Christian Federation (WSCF) is a network of more than  100 
national movements in every region of the world. Founded in 1895,  the WSCF was 
a precursor to the World Council of Churches (WCC) and now  has advisory status 
with the WCC as well as consultative status with the  United Nations and 
UNESCO. 
The Student Christian Movement of the United States of America  (SCM-USA), 
founded in solidarity with the World Student Christian  Federation (WSCF), is a 
student-led, grassroots organization rooted in  Christ which actively seeks 
justice and peace, speaks truth to power,  and works to overcome oppression in 
communities on local, national and  global levels by empowering students and 
young people to claim their  voice, exercise leadership skills, and build 
transformational networks  of relationship.

Registration and other information is available at SCMUSA.org. or by  emailing 
SCMalerts@gmail.com.

For more information, contact:  Luciano Kovacs, North America Regional  
Secretary, World Student Christian Federation, 475 Riverside Drive,  Suite 810, 
New York, NY 10115, 212-870-2470,  wscfna@gmail.com                         

Since its founding in 1950, the National Council of the Churches of  Christ in 
the USA has been the leading force for ecumenical cooperation  among Christians 
in the United States. The NCC's 36 member faith groups  -- from a wide spectrum 
of Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, Evangelical,  historic African American and 
Living Peace churches -- include 45  million persons in more than 100,000 local 
congregations in communities  across the nation.

NCC News contact:  Philip E. Jenks, 212-870-2228 (office),  646-853-4212 
(cell), pjenks@ncccusa.org